Destiny's Desire
by pinkserenity
Summary: ch. 6 up!Kaoru is the princess of the Kamiya kingdom, she is the only daughter of King Kamiya, her older brother Aoshi wants to be better than Batttousai, so he gave her the throne... What would happen if Battousai would kidnap the princess?
1. Default Chapter

A/N: All right so this is my first fic so I hope you guys really like it. I've been reading lots of fics so I hope you enjoy this and please be patient with me I've really got lots of surprises in store okie?…

Disclaimer: Kenshin's mine… mine, mine, mine! (Looks at angry mob surrounding her!) I mean NOT mine… (Geez! Whew!)

**SUMMARY:**

**Kaoru is the princess of the Kamiya kingdom, she is the only daughter of King Kamiya, her older brother is Aoshi but he stepped down from the role of being the next heir to the throne because he wanted to become a better swordsman than the legendary Battousai. Thus leaving the throne to her sister when she comes of age. What would happen if Battousai were o kidnap the princess? (READ ON TO FIND OUT…)**

CHAPTER ONE 

There she was a beautiful young lady in the midst of the palace gardens, it was as if she were the one bringing life to the flowers and trees surrounding her. She smiled as a butterfly landed on her hand as if being drawn to her beauty. She sat there quietly enjoying the scene before her not knowing that her brother and father was observing her from a distance…

"She's growing up so fast, I fear I cannot protect her any longer from the oracle." The older man said quietly, eyeing his son.

"She's a very capable woman, I know she'll surpass the oracle's effects." Aoshi said while looking at her sister through the window of the castle. His face remained expressionless except for the glint in his eyes, which his father didn't see.

"We can't hide her forever, it's bound to happen sooner or later. It's better if she faces it now though while she is still under our protection. At least we can still protect her from here." Aoshi added much to his father's dismay.

The king nodded knowing that his son had a point. There was no use in trying to keep such a beautiful butterfly from the world. "It's just that…" the king glanced at Kaoru then eyed his son warily. "She's too young… I mean she's my only daughter I can't…" the king trailed off. He loved his daughter too much just to be taken away from him at such a young age.

'_Aoshi understood his father; indeed Kaoru was too young to be taken away from them'_ he thought. Kaoru was the only person who could make him laugh at her antics even with his icy façade.

(A/N: Aoshi? Laughing who would have thought but hey it's my fic okay?")

Both of them stood there in silence for a few more minutes. Both lost in their thoughts when all of a sudden, "Your highness…" a servant announced, "Duke Enishi of the Yukishiro kingdom has just arrived."

The men were startled from their thoughts but recovered quickly. Aoshi muttered something under his breath but the king only glared at him and rolled his eyes. "Send him in.," he ordered the servant. Then turning to his son, "We shall continue our discussion some other time Aoshi in the mean time keep a watchful eye over Kaoru for me will you?" Aoshi nodded and said nothing as he exited the room.

Then turning back to his guest, he raised an eyebrow "Why the sudden visit Yukishiro?" he asked. He knew very well the reason for his visit, to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage. He hadn't really given thought to it that much. Kaoru was his baby girl, and he'd rather die than let him marry this… this…

"You know very well my reason for visiting, your majesty." The young man eyed the king, as if reading his mind. The king intimidated him, his ki was so strong that he would've froze in his position had he not been prepared. But he was determined to marry Kaoru no matter what.

'_You have no idea' _the king thought. "I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon Enishi, and what of your position in your kingdom? Who's going to handle it at your absence?" the king said instead.

"It's all been taken care of your highness," the duke replied.

"Very well then you may stay here for a while," as he turned to face the window again. _'This way I could observe you better around my daughter'_he added in his thoughts.

The duke, seeing this took his cue to leave. "I thank you for your kindness your majesty, I appreciate it. If you will excuse me I have to take care of some things." The king nodded, his back still to him. Enishi exited the room quietly leaving the king to his thoughts… 

Kaoru retreated back to her room after spending time in the garden. It was her favourite place in the palace because there she could sort out her thoughts in peace. The place was very serene. The garden was in the middle of a maze, which only she and her family knew about. A shield of magic surrounded the garden set by their wizards to ensure their safety. On her way to her room she noticed a familiar ki in the palace. '_He's back! Oh no not again…_' she thought hurrying back to her room she slammed the door shut behind her. She was surprised to see her brother on her bed. "Mou! Aoshi you startled me." Aoshi glanced at her, his face expressionless yet there was concern and seriousness in his eyes. "We need to talk."

Kaoru realized the seriousness of the topic Aoshi wanted to discuss. She sat beside her brother, confusion in her eyes as she searched his eyes.

"The oracle has begun…"

Kaoru looked at him eyes wide with both terror and confusion.

"But I thought…"

A/N: (Staring at the readers…) well… what did you think? Good? (Cricket… cricket…) bad? (Cricket… cricket…) any violent reaction? All right already! Just email them to me at okay? I'll be waiting oh and don't forget to drop reviews and comments I'd be glad to entertain suggestions for my fic.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Kenshin's mine… mine, mine, mine! (Looks at angry mob surrounding her!) I mean NOT mine… (Geez! Whew!)

**A/N:I am so sorry i hadn't noticed that my change scene format wasn't recognized. I'm glad that you still understood the story though!**

SUMMARY:

Kaoru is the princess of the Kamiya kingdom, she is the only daughter of King Kamiya, her older brother is Aoshi but he stepped down from the role of being the next heir to the throne because he wanted to become a better swordsman than the legendary Battousai. Thus leaving the throne to her sister when she comes of age. What would happen if Battousai were to kidnap the princess?

CHAPTER TWO

"We've tried many times to escape it but we cannot prevent it from happening…" Aoshi trailed off not knowing how to comfort his younger sister. "Your birthday is coming in a few days and… well…" not knowing how to ease her sisters discomfort he continued to lay out the facts. "We've decided to let you marry Enishi." Although he did not approve of the lad, he had no choice for this was the only way they could prevent it from happening.

"What!" Kaoru looked at him incredulously. "But I do not love him, I have no intentions of marrying someone I do not love." Ever since she was young she had dreamt of who his prince charming would be. '_He'd have violet eyes that were mellow and…'_ her thoughts trailed off. '_She absolutely will not, shall not, could not marry someone she did not love. There was no way they were gonna force her.' _She fumed at her thoughts.

Aoshi seeing the display of emotions on Kaoru's face, "It's for your own good, kao-chan."

Kaoru hearing her brother was snapped out of her thoughts. She felt her brother mellow even if he still maintained his icy façade; his eyes were showing his concern. Even with Aoshi's façade she knew that he would never let anything happen to to to her. They had this mutual understanding that only they could understand, even if he was always silent they always understood each other's pain. "Is there really no other way Aoshi?" she asked hoping to find another way to try to escape her situation.

Seeing her apparent discomfort, "No I believe there is no other way Kaoru. The oracle said that as soon as you come of age you would be faced with intense sorrow and misery. We're afraid that you may not be able to face it." He knew that his sister was a strong person and knew that she had the courage but…

"I can't see how marrying Enishi is going to solve our problems, the oracle said nothing about me marrying… him." She whined, trying to get out of her current situation.

"Kao-chan, we can't risk it not with Battousai lurking in the shadows. We thought that maybe if you married Enishi you would be safe in their kingdom." Aoshi said looking away from Kaoru, he couldn't bear to see his little sister in pain, he couldn't bear the thought of Enishi being her husband. But they had to do it, at least just for the mean time…

"You mean I'm going to stay at his kingdom? But I'm supposed to be the crowned princess, I don't understand Aoshi."

"After you marry Enishi, you will move to his palace temporarily, then when all's clear you will both move back here to the castle and proceed with your duties as the crowned princess and future queen of our kingdom." Aoshi replied.

"But I don't wanna leave you and daddy alone. I don't want to be married to someone I don't love. Besides, isn't it obvious that Enishi only wants to marry me so he could be king of our kingdom and so that he'd be able to corrupt all our fortune? I mean really Aoshi…" she looked at her brother as if he'd grown another head. She hoped that her reason would get through to the other.

Aoshi just kept his silence observing his sister and pondering upon her words. He knew it was true. Heck it was all true, but he also knew of the king's fears in losing his only daughter. She studied her for a while, her dark raven hair pulled up into a long ponytail, her sapphire eyes slightly covered by her bangs. Her face was angelic, she was the only one who could give life to the palace grounds. She looked more and more like their mother through the years.

At her brothers sudden silence, she found herself pondering on the fact that he was just thinking of what would be best for her own sake. She knew Aoshi would never lead her astray…. still… '_Would you really want to marry Enishi just to escape some stupid oracle? I mean really kaoru…'_ a little voice within her kept saying.

"Is there no other way Aoshi? Can't we fix this in another way? Onegai? There must be another way, there must be…" she trailed off, utterly confused. She raised her teary eyes only to face her brother's back to her.

Unable to bear Kaoru's pain, he turned to face the window. He sighed heavily, and stared at the stars in the sky. "Wakaranai kaoru, wakaranai." He whispered. He silently left the room, leaving kaoru to think about her current situation.

……………………………………….

"Here's your last assignment Battousai." Katsura handed him the black envelope. It would be his last assignment for the week.

"You are to kidnap the princess of the Kamiya kingdom and do whatever you please with her." Katsura said eyeing him thoroughly. "I trust it's as good as done?" he asked eyeing him again warily.

The man nodded, his bangs covering his eyes so that they couldn't see Them turn to molten amber. The man rose abruptly and strode to the door and closed it behind him.

……………………………………………….

'_I have to do something fast or else I might not be able to escape.' _Kaoru thought as she paced the room. She's been thinking of a way to get out of her particular position ever since Aoshi left her a few hours ago. _' I must think of a plan… but what!' _she ran her fingers through her hair subconsciously. Just then, the ever-energetic Misao came bouncing in to announce that dinner was to be in a few hours. Misao was her best friend ever since they were kids, she became one of Kaoru's maidens as they grew up. And now more than ever she needed Misao to support her. She told Misao all that's happened from the oracle to her marriage to Enishi.

"Wait, so you're telling me that on the day you were born an oracle foretold that on the day that you would come of age you will be taken away from your family by someone or something and leave you to face great sorrow and pain?" Misao said slightly confused. Kaoru nodded.

"But what does that have to do with you marrying Enishi?"

"They think it will probably stop the oracle. If we get married and hide off to his kingdom for a year or so then maybe I can escape the oracle and come back here and rule the kingdom as the queen with Enishi by my side." Kaoru said bluntly. "I don't understand why they can't just let me make my own decisions!"

"So what are you gonna do? It's not like you can escape it by running away or something…" Misao started as she strode to the closet to help Kaoru get ready for dinner. Kaoru turned to face her best friend abruptly, a smile slowly spreading across her features.

"Misao that's it! You're a genius!" Kaoru said her eyes sparkling with the new hope.

"I am? I mean yeah I am… Now how exactly did I become a genius?" Misao asked unable to follow Kaoru's train of thought.

"I'll runaway so that they won't be worried about me and my stupid oracle. Then I'll come back when I'm mature enough to rule the kingdom as their queen. You could come with me and it would be like an adventure." Kaoru said excitedly.

"Oh! Okay…" then when Kaoru's words sank in she paled.

"Matte! NOOOOHH! This not a good idea kao-chan! We can't just leave the palace, what about your father, Aoshi… and besides we both know you don't runaway from your problems you face them." Misao said hurriedly trying to convince Kaoru the best way she could.

"You're right Misao but desperate people go to desperate measures, and right now Misao I'm pretty desperate. Now if you don't want to come to this adventure with me I don't care I just have to get out of here and fast. Besides you suggested it." Kaoru said stubbornly as she went to the closet and searched for a bag to pack her things in. She grabbed several of her training gi and pants together with her bokken she put her clothes in the bag and changed into a set of gi and pants. "So are you with me or not? Coz I'm not kidding Misao I really am going and no one can stop me." She said with such a conviction.

"Why can't I just keep my big mouth shut…" Misao muttered inwardly. "Alright! Alright! I'm in! Geez Kaoru give a girl a break will you? You know how I love adventures. It's what we've been dreaming of ever since we were kids. Besides I know the countryside better than you do. And at least I could find us somewhere decent to live in ok!" the younger girl sighed in defeat.

"Sugoii! We're going on a real adventure… hurry up Misao let's go before somebody spots us." Kaoru said anxious to get away from the castle as soon as possible.

"Kaoru? Shouldn't you at least leave a note or something? I mean your father and brother might get worried…"

"You really think I should? I… guess I could just leave a note…" she scribbled onto a paper. "Done. Now let's get going!"

"Ok Kao-chan no need to hurry we'll get out of here soon enough."

They walked out the door casually and through the gate with servants greeting them on their way. They wanted it to look like they were just gonna practice some of their techniques in the garden. Once they were out of sight they quickly ran to the nearest wall and climbed their way out.

"Remind me again why were climbin' a 30-foot wall? Why can't we just go out the gate?" Kaoru whined.

"Well princess it was your idea to have an adventure, and besides, when we go through the gate the guards will ask why we want to go you know they're guarding you tightly because of that stupid oracle." Misao told her as she climbed her way up but stopped when she felt a barrier.

"Kao-chan there's a barrier I can't seem to get through." Misao said as she tried to go over the wall.

"Oh no! I forgot about the barrier… Oh what are we gonna do now?" Kaoru said as she rested on a branch of a tree near the wall.

"Hey kao, remember that thing you used to do when we were kids and you wanted to get through somethin' what was that again? Maybe you could do that with this barrier." Misao asked thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah, Aoshi taught me that trick he said I just have to meditate and do this," Kaoru said as she tried to clear her mind of all thoughts and try to calm herself , she reached up to the barrier and as soon as she touched it her hand went through. "Hurry Misao, I can't keep this up for long!" Misao hurriedly climbed through the wall as kaoru followed suit.

"how do you do that?" Misao asked her friend.

"Do what?" Kaoru looked at her confused.

"You know ward off magical spells?" Misao asked utterly confused. She knew that her friend did not posses magical abilities or else she would have known since they were practically sisters.

"Oh that! Aoshi taught me how to ward off spells by meditating since they were afraid that the person the oracle mentioned would be a wizard. But that's practically all I can do." Kaoru answered casually. "Well come on, we've got an adventure to face!" Kaoru said as Misao tried to comprehend what her best friend explained. Then followed the princess as they both ran into the woods so as not to be seen by the guards, or anybody else for that matter.

…………………………………………………

Battousai watched the princess pace from one point to another in her room as he sat perched in a branch near her room. He stayed there ready to make his attack when another girl entered the room. He watched them in amusement as the girl tried in vain to stop the princess from going. _'This is good. She's making it much easier for me to take her.' _He thought as he watched the girls slip out of the room and out the main door.

'_This is good, very good…' _Battousai thought as he followed them swiftly through the walls of the castle. He grinned inwardly.

'_Perfect just perfect…'_

………………………………………………..

Kaoru was thrilled at the thought that her plan was working and that they haven't even noticed that they had left. She was marveling at the thought that they had escaped that she had failed to notice that they were headed straight for the black forest, south of the castle. She and Misao knew the woods like the back of their hands but they never went past the black forest for it was said that it was dangerous there and although they had once tried to sneak through, but Aoshi wouldn't let them since, he was always watching them. She looked over at Misao who was just as entranced as she was at the thought that they had escaped the palace guards. However as she turned to face Misao she suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow in one of the trees. She listened intently at the sound and tried to sense the ki of this mysterious shadow. Suddenly a raccoon came down from the tree and she released a sigh of relief.

Misao on the other hand still hasn't stopped babbling about their "great escape". And she grinned at the girl's enthusiasm. They went on their way happily and set out for the outskirts of Japan trying their best to get through the black forest. Somehow Kaoru still could not shake the fact that someone was watching her. Because of this she kept her guard.

………………………………………………….

Battousai followed them in the shadows unknown to the two women that were trying so hard at not being caught. He kept moving swiftly through the trees of the forest not wanting them to sense his presence lest he presents himself. He noticed Kaoru's bokken from earlier was hidden in her gi. He also sensed that Kaoru guarded her every move but quickly dismissed it. 'They're escaping of course she'll be on guard.' He remembered his promise that he will never again kill women and children and so he will wait till they fell asleep when their guard was down to avoid being seen and before kidnapping the princess. This is going to take longer than I thought…

……………………………………….

Misao sensed that Kaoru was uneasy about something. At first she tried to dismiss it as jitters from their escape, but then as they went further and further into the forest she became more and more tensed.

"Kaoru, is something wrong?" Misao asked genuinely concerned about her friend.

Kaoru eyed Misao wearily, she had been thinking whether or not to tell her about her feeling.

"I'm fine I guess I'm still having the jitters from our escape that I've been having this feeling of being watched. Besides we've been walking for hours we would be far from the castle now right? I think we should rest awhile." Kaoru sighed.

"Okay, let's find a nice spot for us to camp in." Misao replied. She was still worried about Kaoru. After all she was a princess and not at all accustomed to this kind of life.

"Wait here, while I go and get some firewood okay? You rest a while you look like you need it. I'll be back." Misao said as she headed towards some bushes leaving Kaoru alone.

When Kaoru was alone, she let her guard down and waited for the stranger in the shadows to attack. When it didn't she stood up and whispered "You can come out now, I know your there! And you're supposed to fulfill the prophecy so come out there's no use hiding in the shadows when I can sense you." She waited until she heard the leaves of a nearby tree rustle and prepared herself for her abductor. She had known about this when she thought of running away. She didn't understand why her father and Aoshi were so caught in preventing the oracle when all of them knew that it wouldn't be so. She decided to face whatever it was that they have feared for a long time. Suddenly a she saw a blur of red quickly approaching her.

Battousai knocked her off her feet with just the pressure of the wind and quickly carried her and slumped her to one of his shoulders and went his way. Kaoru lay motionless on his shoulders as he took off with such speed.

Unbeknownst to them Misao saw the whole thing of how Kaoru waited for her abductor though she wanted to help her she knew Kaoru knew what she was doing. And with just a blink of an eye they were gone. As reality dawned upon her, she quickly decided to head back to the castle to tell everybody what happened although she did have to leave some parts. _'I am so dead when the King finds out'_ Misao thought as she followed the path back to the palace. She needed to get there before dawn.

………………………………………….

Back at the palace Aoshi was starting to feel uneasy by the fact that Kaoru and Misao didn't come to dinner. He figured that Kaoru was still upset about the news about Enishi and that must be in her room comforting her sister. He watched his father and Enishi talk about political plans for both kingdoms and he lost interest on their topic. He saw his father send up a servant to Kaoru's room. A few minutes later the servant came rushing down almost falling down the stairs of the huge castle and stumbled across the hallway to the dining area.

"YOUR HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS…" The servant sobbed as she tried to breathe. "THE princess she's…" the servant continued crying. "She's gone…"

"WHAT!" The king burst in outrage. His worst fears were coming to life. His little girl was gone… "Call all the guards and soldiers we have I want all of them searching for my daughter. You," he turned to another servant. "I want you to call all my advisers to my office. NOW!" the king's voice boomed with uncontrolled fury.

Aoshi remained silent, as he silently thought of all the things he would do to the person who abducted his sister. He knew only one person could be able to abduct her without any trace… BATTOUSAI. '_You're gonna pay dearly for what you have done._' Aoshi thought as he glanced at Enishi who was pretty much having the same sentiments.

"Do not worry your highness I will send my troops looking for her as well. And I will not rest until I have found her. Rest assured she'll be safe." Enishi said as he tried to calm the king, which seemed to have the opposite effect.

"I'm in no mood for your kiss up and games right now Yukishiro. If you wish to help then that's fine with me. As long as we find my daughter." The king bellowed surprising Enishi. Aoshi smirked inwardly at this. _'At least the king's already aware that he's a kiss up!' _

Enishi recovered from his shock only to be faced with a brooding Aoshi. _'Ungrateful bastards'_ Enishi muttered inwardly. Just then one of the soldiers burst into the room carrying a note. "Your highness we found this in her room." he said passing the note to the king who looked at it as if it were a foreign object. Aoshi stood up and took the note from the guard and read it slowly surprise and worry registered on his face as he read on. The king frowned. "Well, what does it say?" Aoshi was dumbfounded for the first time but quickly recovered his composure. He passed the note to the king who eyed the note wearily. He read the note and was just as surprised as Aoshi. It read:

_Daddy and Aoshi,_

_I'm sorry if I runaway but I really cannot bear the thought of marrying Enishi and making him my king. For we all know what he wants. And I cannot bear the thought of our kingdom that Father and our ancestors have built going down just because of that selfish and greedy Enishi. So Dad please don't come after me just take care of the kingdom as you were supposed to. I'm doing this knowing that the oracle will be fulfilled no matter what we do to escape it so I have come to face it and get it over with. Oh and don't worry I have Misao with me. I'll be back I promise and by then I guess the oracle would have been fulfilled. I love you all so much. Aoshi I hope you take care of Daddy while I'm away. Think of me as if I was only in vacation._

_Kaoru_

The king was dumfounded, he didn't know whether to be proud or angry. He was definitely surprised at how she thought of the way to solve her problems. He was proud because no Kamiya ever runs away from their problems although they really didn't want anything to happen to her for she was young, smart, and brave. He felt that he had raised his daughter right. On the other hand, he couldn't help but get angry for her foolishness for she didn't know the harshness of the real world and now she would have to learn it the hard way. He was worried about her but it was evident that she would be going through a whole lot of hardships. He snapped out of his thoughts when another soldier came in to announce that the men were ready and waiting for his command.

He looked up to see Aoshi telling the guard to wait. Enishi on the other hand was baffled by what was happening. "Well aren't you going to send them off to find Kaoru?" he asked as he absently raked his fingers through his silvery hair.

"We would appreciate it if you didn't tell us what to do." Aoshi replied eyeing him coldly. "This is a family problem, so I advice you to stay out of it." Enishi glared at him and glanced at the king who was sharing the same sentiments as his son at the moment. He stood up and slowly exited the room while muttering some incoherent words to himself.

"So what do you think we should do?" Aoshi asked his father.

"I want to have a talk with some of our seers and wizards before I make my decision. It seems as though destiny has planned its way." The king said frowning. "I want you to keep an eye on Yukishiro for me, I think he might be planning something up that sleeve of his. While I gather all the seers and wizards of our kingdom for a secret meeting."

"Hai! I will have our best men watch after him discreetly." Aoshi answered as he opened the door and paused at the doorframe to look back at his father, "Don't worry, she'll be okay, she's a Kamiya."

………………………………………………

A pair of amber eyes watched silently as a young woman with raven black hair started to open her eyes and rub the sleep out of them. He observed silently as the young woman adjusted her eyes to the darkness and take in the room she was in.

"Where am I?" she whispered to no one in particular not knowing that someone was watching her. Just then her memory of the night before came back to her mind. She searched the room for her abductor and focused her eyes on the dark side of the room and sat up properly on the futon. "Who are you? I know you're there." She stated. She always has this funny feeling about where her abductor could be although she couldn't see him. In fact she hasn't even seen his face yet. The room remained silent. "Oh well, its okay if you don't want to show yourself." She whispered once again into the darkness. Then out of nowhere a man with crimson hair and amber eyes came into her view. Although it was dark in the room she could see his hair and eyes through the light provided by the moon in the window. She gasped when he came nearer and held the hilt of his sword. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked unbelievingly. Then the blade of the sword came slashing down. Pools of crimson blood filled the room…

………………………………………………

Aoshi woke up with a start. He knew it was only a dream, but he couldn't help feeling agitated about it. His dreams always meant something and hopefully this one would not be like the others. He felt helpless because he couldn't protect his sister as much as he wanted to. He blamed himself for agreeing to let her marry that cocky duke. If he hadn't then maybe she wouldn't have ran away then he would still be able to protect her. His mind was filled with all kinds of what if questions. He stood and ran his hands through his hair.

He paced across his room, he had a feeling that something was wrong but he could not place his finger on it. As if he'd forgotten something very important. He was worried for his sister's safety but he needed to be strong for his father. He knew that both of them were experiencing an inner turmoil unlike any other. He thought of just about anything that could help to bring back his sister. He knew that the entire kingdom was suffering the loss of the princess, it felt empty when Kaoru wasn't within the palace grounds. He remembered how her smile could make a room light up and how she could make everyone smile just by being her natural self. He smiled at the thought. He smiled at the fact that Kaoru was the only one who could make his icy façade melt. Even the gardens seemed to mourn the loss of the princess. A lone tear fell from his eyes. He missed her terribly. He walked towards the window and stared up at the moon as he sat on a nearby chair. He blamed that stupid oracle for causing her sister's disappearance. He wouldn't rest until his sister was safe and he was going to make the person who abducted her sister pay.

His thoughts were interrupted when a group of guards flocked towards the gate. _'who would come to the castle at this time of the night?' _he wondered. Just then he caught sight of the person trying to get through the gate. He saw emerald eyes stare directly into his, "Misao…?"

…………………………………..

**A/N: **Well I hope that was to your liking. I made it longer like you wanted and I wanted to make up for being so very, very, very late in updating. I know it's been a long time and I really considered deleting it but my best friend wanted me to finish it. Don't worry I have lots of free time now so I'll try not to slack off. And please review… it motivates me to continue writing and I can't believe you actually gave my story a chance thanks to everyone who reviewed they mean a heck of a lot to me. Please it would really make my day if you review my work just push that button okay! See yah next chap!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Kenshin's mine… mine, mine, mine! (Looks at angry mob surrounding her!) I mean NOT mine… (Geez! Whew!)

**SUMMARY:**

Kaoru is the princess of the Kamiya kingdom, she is the only daughter of King Kamiya, her older brother is Aoshi but he stepped down from the role of being the next heir to the throne because he wanted to become a better swordsman than the legendary Battousai. Thus leaving the throne to her sister when she comes of age. What would happen if Battousai were to kidnap the princess?

CHAPTER THREE

Misao had just arrive at the palace after walking back the trail that she and Kaoru took. She was filthy and she knew it, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. She walked for two days straight not even bothering to clean herself. She fed herself on the few fruits she would find in the forest which was really scarce since most of the fruits of the trees in the black forest weren't edible. It seemed that the path she took with Kaoru was a lot easier when they escaped than when she tried to go back. She wondered if someone was trying to deliberately keep her from reaching the palace because she swore that when she and Kaoru went to the forest, it only took about five hours and yet she took two days before she reached the gate. She felt weak after running around the forest for two days but knew that she had to survive for Kaoru. It didn't help her situation that the forest was so dense that it kept the sun from lighting the path and she had to rely on her instincts. She was also puzzled by the fact that a fog seemed to be appearing every five seconds. Heck she even climbed a tree just to know if she was going the right way.

She knew that the king would want an explanation as to the disappearance of his only daughter and she was the only one who could provide it. After all it was her duty to always be by the princess' side. She'll just have to face whatever consequence it might bring even if that meant that Aoshi would hate her forever. Gathering all of her courage, she walked up to the gate to face her fate.

"Let me in I am the princess' lady in waiting Lady Misao Makimachi, I have information about the princess' well being." She said with a clear voice that caught the guards attention.

The guard looked at her disbelievingly. "Yeah right, and I'm the King of the world! Lady that's what they all say when they want to get into the palace. We have strict orders to not let anyone in. Besides, I've seen the Lady Misao, and she is much more refined than you. So if you have nothing else to say leave us be." The guard stated.

Misao looked at the guard incredulously. _'He thinks I'm a peasant.'_ Misao stared down at her clothing and realized what she must've looked like. She was wearing a hakama and a gi with her hair braided down her back and the fact that she walked two straight days without changing' really didn't help her case. She was about to go when she had an uncanny feeling that she was being watched, she turned around and looked up only to meet the eyes of the man she was dreading to face. They both held each other's gazes and time seemed to stop. She felt as if he was searching her soul she dropped her gaze to the ground and turned to the guard. "I suggest you let me in this minute before you regret it." Misao said quietly.

Just then Aoshi came to the gate, "What are you doing making Misao wait at the gate?" He growled coldly at the guard. The guard stumbled before opening the gate. While apologizing to both the lady and the prince. "I…I'm sorry your highness, your ladyship I…I didn't recognize the lady because of her clothes…" the guard stuttered.

"Aoshi…" Misao said trying to tell him what happened but was to weak that her voice came out strangled.

"Aoshi…" she tried again but her mind kept reeling. "Kaoru…" she cried desperately.

Aoshi became alert when she heard his sister's name, she had been worried about the petite girl in front of her to realize that kaoru was not with her. He looked at her finally noticing how pale she was. Misao felt the world spinning around her, before everything went black. She didn't notice the strong arms that caught her…

……………………………………………………

Tae was surprised to see Kenshin at the backdoor of her inn when she was just about to get ready to open. She ushered them inside a worried expression on her face, as she saw him carrying a rather large bundle with her. She found out later that the bundle Kenshin had been carrying was a young woman that appeared to be sleeping. Kenshin offered her a slight smile, as Tae crowed over her like a mother hen. She was the mother he never had. He looked into the older woman's eyes and assured her that he was fine. She sat them down on one of the couch near the kitchen while she began to prepare tea. She offered him a cup and then sat across him.

"What brings you back here Kenshin and who is this young woman?" Tae asked wearily.

"Her name's Kaoru. She is my new assignment. She is the princess of the Kamiya kingdom." He stated. "Tae you're the only person I can trust. Can you watch over her while I take care of a few things?"

"Oh Kenshin you know I could never deny you anything. But I just can help but worry about you. I can't help it when every time I get up in the morning I fear that you may get killed in these missions of yours." Tae frowned the lines on her face showing how much she aged through the years. "And now you drag this princess too… I don't know what you have plan Ken-chan but please…please be careful." She placed a hand on his shoulder, knowing that she could do nothing but care for the boy that had been like a son to her as much as she could.

"I'm always careful Tae-san." Kenshin squeezing the woman's hand for reassurance.

"You must be tired, you can stay in any room you wish and I'll have Tsubame bring you some food and water for your bath." She said as she got up then eyed the raven-haired princess. "I'll put her in one of the rooms connecting to your own."

"Thanks, Tae I knew I could always count on you." He said as he made his way up the stairs towards the room of the inn while carrying the princess. He set her down on the bed and tucked her in. as he did so he noticed for the person how beautiful the princess really was. He observed her face and saw her cream colored skin framed by her raven hair as it spread through the pillows. A sigh escaped from his full lips and he noticed that it was naturally cherry red. He moved away from her as he thought how amusing it was that not only did she have a beauty to match no other but also a courage to match. He recalled how she had called out to him when she thought that her friend had gone. And how she kept her guard up. "how interesting…" he whispered to no one in particular as he exited the room and went towards his own. He was going to have a nice long bath, a decent meal and a good rest now that he had finished his last mission. God knows he needed it.

…………………………………………….

Kaoru woke up with a start. Her eyes opened slowly, as she scanned the room for any hint as to where she was and why she wasn't in her cozy queen-sized bed, and instead was sleeping on an unfamiliar bed. Her eyes widened as memories of the previous day came back to her. she knew she was being held captive but where was her abductor? She tried to sense his presence but found that he was nowhere near the room. She sat up and took in the room she was in. she was lying on a large four poster bed in the middle of the room. To her left was a closet and to her right was a window that had peach and white colored draperies. On the other side of the room was a door which probably led to the bathroom. Another door was found on the far right of the room. and yet another door beside the door to the bathroom. She frowned slightly as she stood up and felt all her sore muscles. She went to the closet to see if there was something she could wear aside from the clothes she had on which was what she wore when she and Misao escaped the palace. She saw that the closet were full of clothes but they were either too big or too small for her. until she decided on wearing a light purple kimono with cherry blossoms embroidered into it along with a dark violet obi. She was about to go to try her and find out which door the bathroom was when a woman came into the room.

"Oh! I didn't know that you were awake, Kenshin said it would take at least a few more hours before you woke up. Anyway you must be hungry after sleeping the whole day away. I'll get you something to eat and some water for your bath. I hope the clothes I brought earlier would fit be to your liking," The woman said as she went about the room. "Forgive me, where are my manners? I'm Tae at your service. And you are currently my inn the Akebeko." She said extending a hand to the younger girl.

"I'm Kaoru" she started as she took the woman's hand.

The woman smiled warmly. "Yes, yes of course I know who you are. You are kaoru-hime. I'm so pleased to meet you hime-sama but I must get to work. If you need anything else please do not hesitate to call me or any other servant." The woman said hurriedly.

"Um… excuse me but how do you know my name and do you happen to know how I came to be here?" Kaoru asked looking quizzically at the older lady. She knew the lady was old enough to be her mother and the fact that she had been kind to Kaoru puzzled her.

The older lady was confused as to the reason why the princess did not know her reason for being there, but shrugged it off. "You were brought here by Kenshin, of course." The woman said matter-of-factly as if that was enough explanation.

Kaoru's mind reeled as a thousand questions entered her mind. _'who was this Kenshin? Was he the one who kidnapped her? and if so, where is he?_' she wouldn't just leave her here now, would he? That just didn't make sense. And aside from that she hadn't even had a glimpse of her abductor yet. She didn't know what to expect. She rubbed her temple feeling the oncoming headache and sat back down on the bed.

When Tae came back she was accompanied by another girl no older than fifteen. They gave her a food tray a change of clothing and hot water for her bath.

"My name is Tsubame hime-sama, I will be your personal maid." The girl said shyly. "would you like me to help you bathe princess?" the girl asked.

Kaoru was puzzled by this kind of treatment. Surely a prisoner was treated a bit more badly than this. It was as if she never left home. And whoever her abductor was, he was sure doing a nice job pampering her. she was about to decline the girl's help when she felt again the pain from her sore muscles. She decided to accept whatever help she could get.

……………………………………………………………

A pair of amused amber eyes watched from the tree next to her window, as the raven-haired beauty was pampered. She had no idea what was coming for her. he looked on in amusement as she seemed to be puzzled by the way they were treating her. He will introduce himself sooner or later. _'we will meet soon enough tanuki, soon enough.' _ He thought as a mischievous glint made its way to his amber orbs and a smirk landed on his features.

………………………………………

"What is wrong with her?" Aoshi growled at the palace doctor. He had been frantic when he found Misao at the gate deathly pale, without Kaoru. They were inseparable and if Misao was like this now he would hate to think what happened to Kaoru. The ice man focused his gaze once again to the woman who looked small in contrast to the queen-sized bed. "Well?" he growled again getting impatient.

"No-nothing's wrong with her she just passed out from exhaustion and lack if food. If my theory is correct she would be awake by tomorrow morning and by then I would advise you to give her food but not too much since that may cause her to have a gastroenteritis. She needs lots of rest and a proper diet. I would like for you to give her these once she wakes up and send someone for me once she does we'll know more tomorrow. For now, let her rest." Said Doctor Genzai handing the medication to him. He eyed the prince wearily as he stood up and headed to the door leaving Aoshi alone in the room with the young woman.

'_Dammit'_ Aoshi cursed inwardly. He paced the room once more. He had practically grown up with the young woman lying in bed but his feelings for the genki young woman was anything but sisterly. He raked his fingers through his hair absently. He didn't want to know what he would do if Misao found out that his feelings toward her was not of the brotherly type. He was worried she would distance herself from him and now in addition to the turmoil he had because of his feelings towards the emerald-eyed beauty lying on the bed, was the fact that Kaoru was still missing and she was the only person who could tell them what happened. All this thinking was really getting his head to hurt. He finally stopped pacing, and sat beside the young woman and brushed a strand of hair from her face. He observed her features as she slept. Her brows wrinkled as if she was troubled and muttered something incoherent. He felt the corners of his face twitch with the beginnings of what could have been a smile. Before he stood up and went out the door to his own chambers.

…………………………………………………..

"Our plan has begun. Katsura has gotten rid of the crowned princess from the Kamiya kingdom and we shall bring the kingdom to it's down fall." A hooded figure said as he rose from his chair to gaze out the window to where the Kamiya kingdom was.

"Yes master. I had a feeling that our first plan would fail and I believe this would be better though I believe that it would have been better." Agreed the young man as he looked at his master. "So when do we put the next part into action?"

"Soon enough, soon enough the Kamiya kingdom and they will rue the day they ever met me!" the hooded figure exclaimed as the whole room was filled with a dark rumbling laughter.

…………………………………………………..

Kaoru felt relaxed after she had taken a bath and had eaten as much as she could. She tried to ask the young girl who this Kenshin guy was but she would just turn an deaf ear to her. She thought about trying to run away but she found out that her door was always locked except for when the girl would help her with something. She sat at the nearby window and admired the scenery. Her window was facing towards the fields. She saw the moon hung low just within the mountains. she kept on thinking about the person that had abducted her, she decided it was better to keep her guard on so as to be prepared for anything. She really didn't know what to expect and when he would drop in and see her.

She tried to make herself cozy as she read a book that Tae had given her to pass the time. She was almost dozing off when someone entered her room. thinking it to be Tsubame she disregarded it and continue her reading. She stopped when a shadow fell on top of her. sighing she placed the book on a coffee table nearby and stood. Her heartbeat stopped when she turned around only to stare in the most beautiful pair of eyes she'd ever seen. _'Amber just like in my dreams.' _

…………………………………………………….

**A/N:** Okay how was that for a third chapter? I know it was shorter than the second one but hey I tried. I'll try and get the next one up soon. I really hope you like it. And hope that it meets your expectations. Feedback would be welcomed and appreciated. And tell me if you have some extra idea for the story that you might want me to add. Anyways see yah next chap. Please please please leave a review I know you read this. So go on and make my life happier.

**Special thanks to:**

**Tifacloudlover-**for adding me to your fave author list and your alert list.

**half-breed-demon-fox, Royal Blue kitsune, Cliff Hanger and Pluki-kun, Wren Yang and lame gurl- **for adding me on your alert list. Thanks a bunch.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: i am so sorry for making you wait so long for the next installment but as every student nows, school can take up pretty much a lot of time so again i apologize please dont think that i have lost hope with this fic. i've been busy with schoolwork nowadays so to make up for it there's no cliffie in this chapter. so ok enough yappin' enjoy!**

Disclaimer: Kenshin's mine… mine, mine, mine! (Looks at angry mob surrounding her!) I mean NOT mine… (Geez! Whew!)

**SUMMARY:**

Kaoru is the princess of the Kamiya kingdom, she is the only daughter of King Kamiya, her older brother is Aoshi but he stepped down from the role of being the next heir to the throne because he wanted to become a better swordsman than the legendary Battousai. Thus leaving the throne to her sister when she comes of age. What would happen if Battousai were to kidnap the princess?

CHAPTER FOUR

Kaoru was mesmerized by the amber orbs in front of her that she forgot everything else. She felt as if she was drawn to the eyes of the man in front of her. it was the color of molten lava, she felt herself drowning in them. Her eyes then darted to the mass of blood red mane framing his face. She was brought back to reality when the man spoke up.

"Well, princess I see you are awake." He said breaking the silence between them. Kenshin smirked as he saw the woman's reaction to his presence amusement present in the glint of his eyes.

"Who… who are you?" Kaoru said suddenly aware that she was in the room with a man she didn't know and was so close to her.

"My apologies princess if I didn't introduce myself earlier but I had business to attend to. I my dear hime-sama am your abductor. Maybe you've heard of me… the hitokiri Battousai that your dear brother always told you about." He eyed her amused by the fact that he wasn't afraid of the legendary killer.

"What do you want with me?" she asked as she tilted her chin to face him. Eyes flashing defiantly. Sure Aoshi had told her about the legendary manslayer but that didn't mean she was going to let him do as he pleased with her. No! She wasn't going down without a fight. "Are you going to kill me?" she looked at him squarely. She wasn't going to show any fear in front of him even if she was trembling, and turning to jelly on the inside. She wasn't Aoshi's sister for nothing. She glared at him coldly sapphire eyes flashing.

"That my dear tanuki is something I still have to decide upon." He let his gaze rake through her whole body then went back to look at her eyes. His face slowly closing the gap between them. he could feel her ki radiating fear for the unknown, and yet he was amused at how this sapphire-eyed beauty tried to keep it from him. Had anyone else tried to talk to him in that way they wouldn't live to see the next sunshine. But something about the goddess in front of him intrigued him. _'This might just turn out to be fun.' _He thought as he leaned closer to her so that their foreheads were against each other.

She shivered as he felt him lean closer to her. his breathe light on her face. "You will be an interesting price for me." He whispered to her. Then just as quickly as he said it he withdrawed himself from her leaving an utterly confused Kaoru. "Goodnight tanuki, sweet dreams you will need your energy tomorrow." She glared at his retreating back. Even as the door to her room closed behind him she continued to glare at the door. So that was Kenshin. The legendary Battousai, a cold-hearted killer. She knew of the strength that he possessed. She feared the fact that she did not know what to expect. She moved towards the bed. Thinking about the man that had visited her that night. Her last thought as she fell asleep was of a certain red-headed boy that made her shiver with his mere presence.

Misao woke up groggily, as she tried to take in her surroundings she was in her room once again. She sat up just as the door to her room opened.

"Good morning Rose!" Misao said genkily at the old woman who came in to take care of her.

"Lady Misao…. You're… you're awake!" the servant said dropping the basket of clothes that she had gathered for her daily cleaning.

"I must tell the prince at once." She hurried out of the room.

Misao's smile dropped at the mention of the prince as she remembered that she was about to tell him the news of Kaoru's abduction. She knew that she might be cast out of the castle when they learned what had happened. She blamed herself for leaving Kaoru alone to face the danger of that man. She knew that she was more trained in combat than the princess but she knew that it was the princess who called the stranger to come out. Kaoru was her best friend they were practically sisters and she couldn't believe that she let a moment of weakness take her friend away from her. tears fell from her eyes and yet she did not notice any of them. she was too caught up thinking what Kaoru would be facing because of her own stupidity.

She did notice however when a hand came up to her face to wipe the tears away. She looked up to see Aoshi's handsome face a stoic as ever. His eyes were another story however. And since Misao grew up with him she knew how to read his face or rather his eyes for emotions that he was feeling. What she read in his eyes was not one of resentment but one of concern. More tears flowed from her eyes as a sob racked her body. She clung to Aoshi. She didn't want him to hate her. she knew it was her fault. That if she had somehow stopped the princess' plans then everybody would be happy.

Aoshi held the girl close to him. As he comforted her as best as he could. He didn't know what to do to calm her down. He knew that she too was suffering the loss of Kaoru. They were the best of friends. He cursed inwardly and promised himself that whoever was causing them pain would pay he would make sure of that.

"Misao, calm down." Aoshi said in an effort to get her to stop crying. The young woman tried to control her crying by drawing in deep breathes. He took her chin and tilted her face upward so that she would face him.

"Misao," he tried again. "Misao, I need you to tell me what happened." Aoshi said as gently as he could, his eyes searching hers.

"I can't!" Misao wailed again. "I don't want you to hate me Aoshi-sama!" she knew it was childish of her to cry in front of him but she really couldn't control her feelings. _'get a grip Misao he doesn't want to be faced with a baby! You're a young woman!' _she drew a deep breath of air in an attempt to calm her frazzled nerves.

"I'm sorry Aoshi-sama, that wasn't what I was supposed to act like." She said lowering her head but he refused to let go of her chin.

"Tell me, Misao, I promise I won't get angry. I just want to know what happened to you and Kaoru. you fainted as soon as you got here the doctor said that it was nothing but we were still afraid of what might have happened to you. You and Kaoru," Aoshi replied.

She sighed knowing she could do nothing to change his mind now. She just hoped that he would still look at her with concern once she told him the whole story. This was what she came back here for in the first place and there was no backing out now. She just had to accept whatever consequence she would be facing once this is over. And hopefully get through it in one piece.

"I'm sorry Aoshi-sama, I really am I don't know why I'm so stupid but I just am. I let Kaoru fall into the very trap that you've been protecting her from ever since she was young." She sighed her tears threatening to fall once more. She was about to begin the story of how she and Kaoru left the palace for the 'great' adventure when Dr. Genzai walked in.

"Tsk. Tsk. It is not good to overwork the patient your highness, she is still recovering from her illness." The doctor told the young prince as she ushered him out of the door, "You can interrogate her later."

Aoshi frowned at the fact that he was being accused of overworking the young woman when in truth he had tried to comfort her. he also knew that Misao was almost about to tell hi what had happened to Kaoru that might give them a lead as to where his sister was, and why she hadn't been with Misao when she came back. Growling in frustration he went to the temple in the courtyard to meditate and clear his mind.

The king was frantic, he thought about what his advisors had told him. He felt so helpless. He was the king of a kingdom and yet he could do nothing to protect his only daughter. He slumped in his throne. He looked a much older as he raked a hand through his graying hair.

"As we have mentioned before your highness we think that this is the work of one of your enemy kingdoms." Saitou said as he leaned back in his chair as he keenly observed his king. He was one of the king's loyal advisers.

"We agree with that theory your highness. We think that the princess was captured by the enemy so that our kingdom will be weak since the heir to the throne is out of the way it will make us sensitive to attack especially since you are growing weak your highness." Okina the oldest among the advisers spoke up.

"I understand that you have a point but what of Aoshi now that Kaoru is not here he will be given no choice but to take over the throne." Answered the king as he rubbed his temples feeling the faint traces of an upcoming headache.

"you forget your highness that when the prince gave up the privilege as heir to the throne he will never be offered the same position again, no matter what the case may be. That is the law." Saitou answered once more.

"the only problem is which kingdom would go to such extents as hire the Battousai just to declare war on our kingdom?" Okina queried.

"Since we have no idea who this mystery enemy could be, we must be prepared for any attacks that may come to us. Saitou as the general to my troops and my trusted advisor I want you to train our soldiers so that they may become fit and ready if a war actually breaks out. And I want all the seers, and wizards to be at their best if in case this doesn't turn out to be a physical war but a magical one." The king stated as he finally dismissed the meeting.

"I want to have a word with you alone Saitou."

Saitou waited for the room to clear before he finally replied.

"what is it that you want to talk to me about your highness?"

"I want you to assign a special troop to find the princess containing at least want wizard. I want you to find out as much as you can. The sooner you find Kaoru the lesser the threat to the kingdom will be." The king told him, his face contorted with great fury.

"I understand your highness, what should when we catch the culprit who abducted her?"

"Do as you please with the man just make sure that my daughter is brought back safe. You are my most trusted adviser and my most trusted friend. I want you to make sure that you'll do everything in your power to retrieve my daughter."

"It's as good as done."

"Good. Now leave me I have a brewing headache and I want ito rest."

Saitou stood and bowed in respect as he silently treaded to the door and shut it behind him. The king stood from his throne at the edge of the long table in the conference room and walked towards the fireplace. He ran another through his graying hair and murmured softly into the night air,

'_I'm sorry Youko I could not protect our daughter better. Protect her Youko, help her'_

A lone tear fell from his eye and dropped to the carpet beneath him, but he took no notice in it. He blamed himself for not having enough security to protect his daughter. He had been dreading this moment ever since the seer had told them of their daughter's fate. He felt do powerless, so useless.

'_Oh Kami please don't let anything happen to my baby girl.' _He prayed silently, as tears continued to fall from his eyes.

Katsura was lounging on a chair beside a window as he gazed at the pouring rain outside. Everything was going as planned. _'He will be very happy.' _It would only be a matter of time before Himura contacted him about the princess. He knew that the man wouldn't harm the princess, he had known of the Battousai's vow a long time ago that he wouldn't kill women nor children. _'Besides his employer wanted the princess alive.'_

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the arrival of the figure who was currently watching him.

"Katsura," the redhead acknowledged him.

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the man's voice. He turned to face the man who was currently leaning on a wall his head lowered so that his bangs covered his eyes. His face devoid of emotion.

"Himura, so good of you to drop by. I trust you have the princess with you?" Katsura said levelly.

The man eyed him slowly as he inclined his head to one side before replying.

"Yes, the princess is kept safe. What do you want me to do with her?"

"just keep her safe for a few more days, then you will deliver her to the Yukishiro kingdom." Replied Katsura casually as he observed the Battousai.

Kenshin kept his features expressionless as he nodded.

"You have to personally deliver to Enishi." Katsura added ad he turned once again to gaze out the window. The rain had stopped and the dawn of a new day erupted, a faint swish of the wind could be heard and Battousai was gone.

Kaoru woke up once again in the same room she had been in for the past two days. She was getting frustrated. She never did anything as she stayed cooped up in the room. the only time she would have a companion was when Tsubame came in to help her bathe and give her food. Sometimes she would read a book that the younger girl had left with her to entertain herself. She knew that she couldn't demand for anything else because she was still a prisoner awaiting whatever fate had in store for her. but the wait was getting to her it frustrated her.

She missed being able to train with Misao. The feeling of satisfaction when she got a particularly difficult move that Aoshi had taught her correctly. She even missed the way her father scolded her after the escapades that she and Misao went on was reported to him. A distant smile spread on her features as she thought of her father. She knew that she probably brought it on herself, after running away and facing the so-called prophecy. Her family was probably angry at her because of that last stunt that she pulled with Misao she knew that she had went over the edge. She really had nowhere else to go even if she had tried to escape. She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from her cerulean orbs. _'No! I have to be strong. To be able to face my own problems on my own!' _she chided herself.

Maybe she could get Tae to lend her a bokken so that she could practice here within the room. she really wouldn't try anything, if she could only get Tae to agree. _'Then maybe…' _Her train of thought was interrupted when Tae came into the room.

"I thought you'd be awake by now." She said as she helped Kaoru get ready for the day.

"Um… Tae where's Tsubame? I didn't expect you to be the one helping me since as you have so many things to attend to."

"Well Tsubame had to do something important. Family matters, I think. So I gave her the rest of the day off."

"ohh…"

They continued in silence as Kaoru thought of the best way to ask Tae about her training in the room. finally when she was dressed, and she was about to leave when she turned to face Kaoru again.

"Okay dear I'll be leaving you now. I'll be up again later to give you your lunch."

Kaoru nodded. The older woman was almost at the door when she stopped.

"Oh, and dear, Kenshin will be up to see you later." She said over her shoulder.

At the mention of the man's name Kaoru stiffened. All her earlier thoughts fled her mind. The man hadn't come to see her since that night, two nights ago. She wondered why the man would want to see her. She plopped down on her bed as she once again picked another book. After a few minutes into the book, she put it down and growled in frustration. She couldn't keep her concentration. She kept staring on a line of the book but her thoughts seemed to wander off and the meaning of the words she read seemed to elude her. she just couldn't understand a single thing! She needed to burn her energy. She was bored out of her mind. Being stuck in the room she had nothing to do but sleep or read and since she couldn't understand a word she was reading, then that was out of the question. And she sure as hell was not going to sleep she just had too much energy in her to keep still.

She rose and took a seat near the window that was facing the courtyard. She was admiring the quiet of the scenery when she heard someone laugh. She shifted in her chair to get a better look. What she saw made her heart jump to her throat.

There he was laughing at something that somebody had said. His purple eyes shining with amusement. His hair was like fire when the sunlight hit it, a mixture of gold and red. As her gaze lowered to his body she noticed that he was wearing only his hakama and had a sword on one hand. Kaoru couldn't help but be amazed at how boyish he looked when he was smiling. _'He's magnificent.'_ She thought as she let out a breathe she hadn't known she had been holding. She watched as he resumed his training his body glistened with sweat. She noticed that he had a nice built, broad chest, and six pack abs. When he had finished his routine, he turned to look at someone Kaoru couldn't see and smile again. Something tugged at her heart, and she found herself wishing that she was the cause of his laughter.

'_What the… where the hell did that come from? Are you out of your mind Kaoru? Your not supposed to be crushing on your abductor? he kidnapped you for crying out loud!' _

'_Yeah, but you did bring it unto yourself you know. If you hadn't ran away in the first place he wouldn't have kidnapped you. Besides, admit it he is sexy with that long red hair how it would feel between your fingertips, and his eyes that make you wanna turn into a quivering puddle of…'_

"ENOUGH!" she scolded herself.

She must've said it out loud be or maybe screamed it out loud either way it certainly caught the redhead's attention he was staring at her from the courtyard a smirk on his face, he winked at her.

She blushed ten different shades of red as she moved away from the window thanking Kami for the fact that she was too far away for him to see her blush. She sat at middle of the four poster bed and began meditating, a habit she had picked up from Aoshi to calm one's mind and relieve frustration. She would have to do a lot of meditating because it felt as though she had just swallowed a basket full of butterflies she couldn't understand how any man could affect her like this.

Kenshin smiled inwardly as he saw the princess move away from the window and looked back at Tae who had been talking non-stop about how he needed to settle down. He had laughed when a boy about Tsubame made gagging sounds behind the older woman. Tae had scolded the boy, then teased him about how he kept giving Tsubame shy looks. He had continued his training routine until he had finished when he heard the a sound from the princess' room. he looked up to see a goddess with cerulean orbs staring at him. Her hair had been up in a ponytail with bangs framing her face.

His train of thoughts had been broken once again when he heard laughing. Looking back to Tae and the boy named Yahiko he saw that the boy was blushing like a tomato because apparently Tsubame had overheard him telling Tae that he liked her.

He smiled at the scene, he glanced once more to the window where the princess had been but she was gone. Sighing he went over to Tae to have a talk with her.

**A/N: **There, see, no cliffie. But at least they already have an attraction. Not Much I know but there will be action on the next chapter, so stay tuned. (That sounded just like a commercial didn't it? ahehe) oh and forgive me if the plot's slow but it's my first time to write a fic so I hope that you could be patient with me. Oh yeah and feedback would be appreciated tell me what you want or expect of the next chaps because I'm currently having my first ever writer's block. Waaahhh help me! Anyways I bet the reviews can make it go away so please…. Please review and hope you enjoyed it.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Kenshin's mine… mine, mine, mine!!! (Looks at angry mob surrounding her!!!) I mean NOT mine… (Geez! Whew!!). But Takano and Yuki on the other hand… (sees the angry lawyer's of Perfect Girl Evolution, threatening her.) Aww… man I don't own them either. Life's so unfair!!

**SUMMARY:**

Kaoru is the princess of the Kamiya kingdom, she is the only daughter of King Kamiya, her older brother is Aoshi but he stepped down from the role of being the next heir to the throne because he wanted to become a better swordsman than the legendary Battousai. Thus leaving the throne to her sister when she comes of age. What would happen if Battousai were to kidnap the princess?

CHAPTER FIVE

Tae watched silently as Kenshin made his way over to them. she dismissed both youngsters so she and Kenshin could talk properly.

"Tae I was wondering if I could talk to you in private." He said calmly.

Tae nodded as she lead the young man into the inn across the hallway until they met a door leading to Tae's office. She motioned the young man to have a seat and offered him tea. When they had both settled, Tae looked up to meet Kenshin's gaze.

"So how is she holding up?" he finally asked.

"As well as can be expected. She seems to have accepted the fact that she is a prisoner quite easily." She sighed before continuing. "But I don't know Kenshin, I really like this girl she has guts and she's very kind."

"so I've noticed she hadn't been intimidated by the fact that I was a the famous assassin Battousai. Do you know that she actually called me out in the middle of the forest because she could sense my ki. She had been expecting me to come for her. she only waited until after her friend had gone before calling me out. She's not as helpless as I thought she was." he his mouth twitching upwards as he recalled her boldness.

"Really… I'm impressed… but Kenshin, what do you plan to do with her?" Tae asked as he regarded the man in front of her.

"I might be having to leave her in your care for a few more days before I deliver to my employer. And I want you to keep her hidden from people, and I also trust you to keep the fact that she is a princess unknown. I don't want trouble to come at your doorstep." The man answered seriously.

"of course I have informed only Tsubame about that fact, she is loyal to me. And the princess hasn't been allowed to come out of her quarters due the reasons you have specified." She replied.

"Very well then. Thank you Tae for your help. Oh… and one more thing I advise you not to trust anybody regarding the princess whereabouts." He rose from his seat and exited the office, leaving Tae to her thoughts.

As Kenshin exited Tae's office, he noticed Yahiko running across the hallway towards him. The young boy panted as he shoved an envelope to his face.

"Kenshin! Kenshin," he panted. "A man came earlier and he asked me to give you this." The boy gave the envelope to Kenshin, and looked up at him expectantly.

The older man looked at the envelope suspiciously but accepted all the same. It looked like he had another side mission. He wondered vaguely how Katsura had known where he was. He was brought back from his musing by Yahiko's waving hand. The boy waited expectantly, but Kenshin only gave him an amused look.

"Well? Aren't you gonna open it?" the young boy demanded. He had been itching to know what the package had been about.

"It's business, so I suggest that you go ahead and go back to your duties before Tae scolds you again." He stated as spun on his heel and headed for his room. the younger man groaned as he went back to the kitchen.

Upon reaching the confines of his room, he opened the envelope and looked at the picture of the man that was supposed to be his side mission. There on the photo was a picture of a man with chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes. He picked up the letter that came along with the picture, it read,

_Himura,_

_I know I told you that the princess was your last assignment for the mean time but the person you see in the picture is Takano Kyohei he is the general of the Kamiya kingdom and he is on to our scent I want him taken care of before you deliver the princess to Yukishiro._

_Katsura_

Kenshin shrugged and went to get his katana once again an unsheathed it for cleaning. He would have to deal with this man tonight if he was ever going to have his rest. Besides then the man would have no idea as to what hit him.

Takano had been ordered to train his men thoroughly for the last few days for the upcoming battles, of course he would have no part in that. The battle was to be handled by another general, his friend Yukishijo Toyama. No he wasn't going to battle although he had wanted to be by his men side by side awaiting whatever the enemy will throw at them. he was one of the few people who were picked to rescue the princess along with their prince and a few mages.

He knew that he was picked for the job because he was the best among all the soldiers of the palace, and he had experienced first hand the cruelty of Battousai. He had been but a child when the man killed his family and now he would make sure that he would pay it was after all one of the reasons why he joined the palace guards.

He raked a hand through his hair and yawned tiredly. He had to get some of his supplies from his cabin before they went out to search for the princess tomorrow morning. He had never wanted to live in the castle when his cabin was nearby. And besides it was the only thing he had let of his family. He stood and said his goodbyes to his comrades as he set off towards his cabin.

The cabin was located in the middle of the forest near the east side of the palace, it was very peaceful and efficient since it was also near a river. He grew up in that house, his father was once a palace guard as well and it gave him great pride that he followed his father's footsteps.

He was just about to enter the cabin when he saw a figure crouching at a tree from the corner of his eye. He continued into the house as if it had been nothing but his hand was already placed at the hilt of his katana, he also had a few explosives in store if in case he really needed it.

Suddenly the door to the cabin broke and standing there at the doorway of his parents house was the very person who killed them… the very person he had vowed to kill all these years… the only person that made his blood run cold… the hitokiri Battousai.

Aoshi visited Misao again that evening to gather more information about his sister's whereabouts and to see if she was feeling better. His breathe caught as he saw her sitting by the window drinking a cup of tea. She was wearing a jade kimono embroidered with yellow cherry blossoms, her obi was gold with silver embroideries of cherry blossoms and bamboo leaves. Her hair waist length hair was tied in a high ponytail by a green ribbon. He was captivated by her beauty.

Misao turned around to get more tea when she noticed Aoshi on the doorway, she was surprised to see that he was observing her thoroughly, a tiny blush crept to her cheek.

"Aoshi-sama you're back!" she said cheerfully. She poured another cup of tea and offered it to him. "Come in Aoshi-sama! Have some tea, oh I am sorry for my attitude earlier I was a nervous wreck I don't know what came over me! Please make yourself comfortable." She said genkily as she motioned him to a chair her emerald eyes sparkling.

Aoshi's lips twitched upwards as he noticed that Misao had returned to normal. He regarded her once again, his azure gaze fixing upon her as he settled on the chair before opening his mouth to speak.

"There is no need to apologize Lady Misao, if anyone should apologize it should be me for forcing you to divulge the information to me, when I knew you were still recovering." He said his expression as stoic as ever. But since Misao had grown up with him he knew how to read the expressions that his cerulean gaze held, and the glint in his eyes told her exactly what he was feeling at the moment.

"It's okay Aoshi-sama, you were probably just worried about Kaoru. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Misao? We practically grew up together." she said enthusiastically before getting serious again. "I… I will tell you all I know, I know it will help you find Kaoru faster, but.." she trailed off. "I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me that you will not hate me after I tell you this and that you will let me help you find Kaoru. She is after all my best friend."

Aoshi nodded although he knew that he could never hate the woman in front of him as for her other condition… he'll just have to talk her out of it. He needed to here this important piece of information. She was the last person that Kaoru was with he knew whatever this was would help her determine the whereabouts.

"Well, as you know Kaoru was not very keen about marrying Enishi…" as she relayed to Aoshi the events of the past few days and the 'great adventure' that she and Kaoru were supposed to be on. Aoshi kept quiet all through out the story never once condemning Misao for leaving Kaoru or not doing anything when the man came to take away his sister. "…and that's how it happened." she ended unable to meet his eyes.

Aoshi remained silent as he absorbed all this new information. His hand clenched into a fist at his sides. He looked to see Misao avoiding his gaze and his eyes softened though his expression remained impassive. He took her hand in his and squeezed it slightly.

"I am grateful to you Lady… I mean Misao," he corrected himself. "I am grateful that you were not injured in this whole ordeal and also for trusting me with this information. Please be assured that I have no grudges upon you. You have been a great amount of help to us." He assured her.

" so, when do we go look for her, I will be ready as soon as you say the word." She inquired genkily, glad that Aoshi was not angered by her stupidity.

"I am afraid Misao that I cannot let you come with us to save Kaoru. It is just to dangerous. You still need to recover." He answered.

"But you promised… before I told you about what happened, you promised. And why am I not allowed to come?! Because I'm a girl! Because I may turn out to be too fragile?!" Misao answered him hotly her emerald orbs flashing.

"No Misao please listen to me..." Aoshi began but Misao cut him off.

"You should know better than anybody else that I am just as good at kunai's as anybody else in that army of yours. I can protect myself. I will not stay cooped up in here with the knowledge that I could have been helping my best friend. Kami only knows what she's going through ri--"

"I don't want you to get hurt." Aoshi growled breaking off whatever Misao wanted to say, as he stood up to look her straight in the eye. Azure met emerald and time seemed to stop as they held each other's gaze. He broke off eye contact and shook his head, his face unreadable he continued, his murmured softly, but loud enough for the young woman to hear. "I've already lost Kaoru I don't wanna lose you too." With that he strode off towards the door and shut it behind him, leaving a confused Misao.

Kaoru had been frantic about the man's visit. When he finally came Kaoru kept scolding herself as to why she had been so nervous about it. The crimson-haired man went up to see her to check on how she was doing.

(flashback)

"Hello again princess, I am glad to see they are treating you fine. Tae is someone I trust and I hope that you do not try to do anything stupid such as escaping her." he stated he regarded her with guarded eyes before continuing. "I may have to leave you here for a long time Kaoru, I have business that I need to take care of, and while I am away I want you to follow everything that Tae asks you to do." He said as he sat towards the edge of the bed.

"And what if I don't?" she answered him defiantly.

"It wouldn't do you good to anger me my little tanuki, I will find you once I've returned and no one can protect you from me not even your own kingdom. You know as well as I do that I will be able to trace you to the ends of the world if I have to." He said his voice laced with venom.

"so what do you want me to do aside from being cooped up on this chamber and being bored to death?" she asked sarcastically.

"You amuse me little tanuki, but if you want to come down to the courtyard you may do so. But I am warning you very far away from home so I suggest that you do not order people around here. And I forbid you to tell anybody of your status, be warned more people want to put their claim on you so you can trust no one but me, Tae and Tsubame. As I said earlier while I am gone Tae will take care of you until I get back." He told her as he was about to stand up to go.

She pondered on what he had said. He was almost at he door when she called him back.

"Can I practice with my bokken in the courtyard then?" he asked him.

"And then what princess? I give you a bokken and then you'll try to escape with a bokken as your weapon? I don't think so…" he said turning his back to her.

"I'll do everything that you've asked. Please I just want to stretch my muscles I won't harm anybody besides I like Tae and Tsubame I won't harm them, I will wait here until you return. I give you my word as the crowned princess of the Kamiya kingdom. I will not run away." She said with all the dignity she could muster.

"I admire you, for your spirit little tanuki, but your word does not mean a thing to me. However, I trust that Tae will be able to handle you as well as I can, so I shall let her give you your bokken. Farewell Kaoru-hime. I will be back soon." He said with a smug smile on his face before exiting the room.

(end flashback)

She had been overjoyed when Tae gave back her bokken that she changed immediately into her training gi and hakama. And trained in the courtyard. She was amazed to see that nobody usually used the courtyard except for the staff. She started working out her kata until she was exhausted with sweat dripping through her whole body.

So here she was now trying to help with the cleaning as much as she could within the inn. Tae had introduced her to the staff as her distant cousin by the name of Kaoru Shinomori. She had insisted to Tae that she might as well work in the inn if she was going to stay there long. They had argued for a few minutes but Tae had agreed in the long run. They had tried her skills in the kitchen but unfortunately she had almost burned the whole inn and so she was assigned to do the laundry. Thankfully she learned how to do it from an old servant in the castle that she used to pester around. It was good for her because she actually had something to do that she wouldn't be bored.

worried about Kaoru. We all are. i out Kaoru. We all are."ctly what he was feeling at the moment.

to see that he wa

Kenshin had been waiting for the right time to strike as he watched the man make his way through the forest alone towards a cabin in the middle of the forest. He made his presence known just as the man was about to enter the cabin, he had paused but resumed in entering the house. An evil smile made it's way towards his features as his eyes turned once again into molten pools of lava.

He entered the cabin to see the man place his hand at the hilt of his katana, his hazel eyes blazing with cold unwavering fury towards him. The man in front of him unsheathed his katana ready for the inevitable battle between the two.

"Battousai, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Takano sneered at him as he got into a fighting stance, as they circled each other each trying to weigh the opponent's strength.

Kenshin backed himself towards the door so as to go outside where there was enough space for him to perform his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Takano followed him outside then when he thought Kenshin wasn't looking he lunged forward, his katana making it's way towards his opponents shoulder if his opponent hadn't jump out of the way just in time. For a split second Takano could not see where Battousai was until he heard rustling among the leaves above him. He ducked and rolled out of the path of the other's sword. He jumped up quickly before thrusting his katana towards Battousai's back. Battousai rolled out of the way bit not before the katana had grazed his arm.

"You're good kid, I'll give you that but I have no time for petty games." Battousai said as he got ready for his next stance which would surely kill Takano.

Takano got up once again, his breathe coming out in ragged gasps his stance sure and confident. In the blink of an eye Kenshin was gone again. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, RYU TSUI SEN!" Kenshin delivered his most deadly attack ever towards Takano, he was not expecting however that the boy had anticipated this and threw gunpowder in his eyes as he was descending to give the strike. All at once, explosion was heard on every corner. They were both thrown from their position when the last explosion occurred as the cabin blew up into pieces. He saw the blood gushing out o every part of his body. He looked to his side to see Takano's body, covered in blood and his katana sliced the side of his body when the explosion occurred. He was vaguely aware of voices before everything turned dark.

Rain had started to pour hard as two bodies were left to die. The men who set up the explosives had dumped both bodies to the river. They had done what they had come for. The Hitokiri Battousai was finally dead. And they will forever be known as the men who killed the famous assassin. _'The boss will be pleased.'_ They thought as three figures blended back into the shadows of the night. The only sound to be heard was the pounding of the rain through the forest floor which seemed to clean the forest of the monstrosity that it had witnessed.

**A/N: hope you liked it.**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Kenshin's mine… mine, mine, mine!! (Looks at angry mob surrounding her!!) I mean NOT mine… (Geez! Whew!!). But Takano and Yuki on the other hand… (sees the angry lawyer's of Perfect Girl Evolution, threatening her.) Aww… man I don't own them either. Life's so unfair!!

**SUMMARY:**

Kaoru is the princess of the Kamiya kingdom, she is the only daughter of King Kamiya, her older brother is Aoshi but he stepped down from the role of being the next heir to the throne thus, leaving the throne to her sister when she comes of age. What would happen if Battousai were to kidnap the princess?

**A/N: I am so sorry this looks as though its been abandoned, to my reviewers I hope you forgive me…I really hope you like this chappie!! although I am kinda disappointed that some people don't leave reviews. I do see how many you are on the hits you know hehe. But anyways, to those who do review fear not for I have another chapter for you. SEE down there!! Haha Good Teena Right?! ;; hehe I'm sorry if it took so long but college life's not easy you know . We've been doing different thesis and research papers so… bear with me here. But I'm so… so.. happy that you people do leave reviews it does brighten up my day and it helps me carry on with my writing I was about to give up but I wanted to finish this for ya'll. I owe you a long chapter and here it is I wanted to make this two chapters but then I've been very bad leaving you guys like that.**

CHAPTER SIX

The grounds were silent as Misao treaded towards Kaoru's favourite part of the castle, the enchanted garden the princess had called it. She wanted to go somewhere to train with her kunai's without anyone interfering. She didn't want Aoshi to see her. she knew he would be angry if he knew. But she needed to do something, she was frustrated with everything that's happening. She started her training with a soothing kata it helped her to relax and think clearly. As the kata went on, she had relaxed and began to think about everything that's happened in the past few days.

"_I just can't understand why I can't help them rescue my best friend. She's like a sister to me. Besides it was my fault to begin with! I shouldn't have left her in the first place, and I could have helped her escape from that manslayer." _She growled to herself.

But she knew she couldn't anger Aoshi more. She had been lucky that he wasn't angry with her now. _"But why was his reaction weird not at all like the person I grew up with?"_ she mused. Ever since she was old enough to remember she had been with Kaoru and Aoshi. Her mother had been the late queen's best friend and when her mother had died by giving birth to her the queen had taken care of her, and raised her together with her own children. She had never known her father because he had left her to the queen's care when he was only a few months old and had never returned. The late queen had been very generous with her and even though she wasn't of royal blood the queen had assigned her as Kaoru's lady-in-waiting. She and kaoru became very close and as children they always pestered Aoshi while he was training with the guards. He didn't seem to mind then, in fact he had taught kaoru and her how to fight with a weapon of their choice. Kaoru had picked a bokken while she had held the small knives that she later learned to be kunai's. at first they had trained in secret because they knew that women weren't suppose to be taught the ways of fighting but one day, the king himself had found about their daily meetings and had been surprised to see both Kaoru and her wearing a gi and hakama, but what astonished him that both girls were doing so well in handling their weapons of choice. He had ordered the guards immediately to train them everyday. A small smile crept on her face as she remembered the queen's expression when she had learned about it. She had been shocked but had learned to accept it eventually. Aoshi had been very kind to her, she had long since gotten over the icy glares of the man and had learned to read her expressions behind the glare. So it utterly confused her when he told her earlier that he didn't want her to come along with him to rescue Kaoru.

"_I don't want you to get hurt._ _I've already lost Kaoru I don't wanna lose you too." _He had looked away from her then. He knew that he was worried about Kaoru but why her? she knew she was competent enough to fight if it really came to that. And what did he mean with his last statement? Sure he was very kind towards her but she knew it was nothing more than that… or was it? It really aggravated her that she didn't know what to think. Part of her wanted to damn them all to hell and go save Kaoru by herself, but another part wanted to comfort Aoshi. She knew that beneath that icy façade he was hurting more than she could ever think possible, she wanted to assure him that everything would be alright but she knew she couldn't. so she wanted to do the next best thing get back his source of happiness… Kaoru, but she was forbidden to do even that.

She hadn't been aware that she had stopped her training and was now kneeling in the middle of the garden. Her thoughts were such a mess. She gazed up to see a blanket of stars in the night sky. The moon was full adding to the mystique of the garden. A soft breeze caressed her cheeks as loose strands of her raven hair made its way to her face. She let out a sigh and was about to stand when she felt a presence beside one of the benches behind her . she didn't feel alarmed for she knew who's ki it belonged to.

"Aoshi…" she whispered not wanting to break the serenity of the garden. She stood up and turned to face him. For a fleeting moment she saw a weird look on his face before he returned to his expressionless façade. It was a look of desire almost lustful, but she dismissed almost immediately thinking she had imagined it.

"I'm sorry, Misao I wasn't aware that anybody was here. I shall leave you—"

"No! I mean, don't go I was just thinking about things. You can stay if you want." She said cutting him short.

"Ahh… I see," the corner of his lips twitching upwards. "and you weren't actually training were you?" he teased though he remained as stoic as ever.

"As a matter of fact yes I was, but I can't seem to get anything right done," she grimaced slightly.

"oh? And why is that?" he asked as he raised a delicate eyebrow.

"why? I'm frustrated that's why, I don't know what to do with Kaoru, with my training and most of all I don't know what I'm supposed to do about you. I mean I've been out of my mind with worry for the poor girl. And it was my fault, I shouldn't have let him take her I should've just fought with the man even let him kill me if he wanted to just to let the princess escape. I'm such a coward and I'm her best friend she could… she might be… what if she's… oh Kami I could never forgive myself if something horrible happened to her…" she babbled helplessly as she tossed herself to the ground.

He had been amused by the younger girl's ranting about herself , his sister and surprisingly himself. He was flattered to know that she was thinking of him, but the feeling was lost when she had told him that she should have let herself be killed for Kaoru's sake. He strode up to her and grabbed her by the arm shaking her vehemently.

"Never talk about yourself that way, even if you sacrificed yourself for kaoru Battousai would've still been able to catch up with her in no time. It would've been irrelevant and useless. Nothing in life is a coincidence, you got away because it was meant to be, the same way that Kaoru was abducted because it had been predicted. If the Battousai had intended to kill Kaoru he would've done so then and there. She is still alive Misao that much I can assure you. She is a very strong girl and I know that she'll be able to handle herself. Now stop this futile crying of yours." Aoshi growled as his ice blue orbs met her emerald gaze that were swimming in tears.

Misao was taken aback by the prince's sudden fierceness. Never in the nineteen years that she had known Aoshi had he shown such an unbridled emotion to her. it was the first time she had seen what was behind the icy surface of the man. He had been cold but respectful to her in the past, and she had to read his eyes to learn what his emotions were.

"I'm so-sorry," she sighed her lips trembling as she tore her tearful gaze away from his icy ones. "I—I didn't … mean to," she said in a small voice as she sniffled fighting back another rush of tears. She didn't know what she was sorry for but she just didn't want Aoshi to get angry with him. As she realized this, she suddenly felt angry with herself for showing Aoshi her moment of weakness. She didn't know why she was apologizing and was furious with herself for it. Now Aoshi would think she was some helpless girl who easily breaks under pressure, she just gave him another reason to prevent her from joining him and some of the Oniwabanshu (is this the right spelling? Hehehe if its not sorry) in their mission to rescue her best friend. Damn! She couldn't understand why she always felt helpless around Aoshi. She was normally a genki person who was confident about herself but she couldn't understand what was happening. She had to get away from him for a while to gather up her wits. So with the little confidence that she still had, she pulled herself away from Aoshi's grasp and stood.

"I'm sorry for bothering you tonight, I don't know what came over me." She said impassively. "I must take my leave now." She whirled and fled towards the exit of the maze as one by one the tears flowed down her cheeks. She wiped them away angrily, all the while seeking the haven of her room.

Aoshi had been baffled by the sudden transformation in the woman's moods. One moment he was trying to calm her down the next she was curt and very haughty. It was as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over her. He wondered what it was that made her change so abruptly. He was still in shock by her behavior to stop her from leaving and so he watched her flee from the garden in confusion. But to any other person that saw him he was still as impassive as always.  
...

Darkness had shrouded the room as a tall hooded figure came to stand by the window. It seemed to give the room a sinister effect to the place. The room was bare and yet it seemed to radiate a demonic vibe, when one steps in. it had chains along its walls, there was a couch in the corner next to two shelves that were filled with what seemed to be ancient books. In front of the shelves was a desk. It had resembled more of an a dungeon than an office really.

The door opened to reveal three bulky men entering the room.

"'tis good to see that you have arrived. I expect you have brought me good news?" the hooded figure said in a low hoarse voice.

"We have slain the Hitokiri Battousai along with the Kamiya Kingdom's top general, Takano Kyohei." The tallest man said in an arrogant voice, as he stood in the middle of the trio.

"We want our rewards, you promised us a hundred gold coins each if we carry out this mission." another man said as he surveyed the hooded figure who had yet to turn around, as his colleagues nodded in agreement.

'_We need to get out of here as soon as possible. This man… whoever he is… is emanating so much power, he is too dangerous even more dangerous than the Battousai himself, although he had to admit that they wouldn't have stand a chance against Battousai if he had noticed them planting the bombs.' _The man was startled from his thoughts when the hooded man moved to turn around and face them.

"Of course, of course, I have your reward, Hojo hand them their payment." He ordered.

A small hunched man with overly large eyes and terribly long nails that looked like claws squeaked and stood from where he was up til now to get the bags of gold from one of the drawers. He gave each one their share and retreated back to a corner.

"Nice doing business with yah sir." One of the men drawled as they made their leave.

"Not so fast, before you leave gentlemen…" the hooded figure said as all three men froze and turned to see a silver gleam of a katana before slipping into a void of darkness.

Silence ensued as all three men were beheaded as crimson blood pooled on the floor and sprayed on the walls.

"Clean this mess up Hojo, I have more important things to do now that my plan has been carried out. And put my gold back." And with a flourish of robes he was out the door. Leaving his servant cackling with glee at the gory scene his master had left.  
...

After her chores were done, Kaoru felt really exhausted but she didn't want the others to know that she was because it seemed to her that they were doing a lot more than she was and here she was feeling as if she had just ploughed a whole field. She couldn't understand how these people could go about these everyday without a complaint, Tsubame was an even smaller girl than she was but she didn't mind the work at all. _'These people_ _have to work to live.' _She mused to herself as she walked back to the courtyard and sat on a wooden bench that was under the sakura tree as dusk approached. She watched Tae and the others bustle in and out of the inn in preparation for dinner. Only now did she appreciate the people that made the castle run, her father might've been the ruler but the servants were really the people behind the castle's smooth operation.

Even as a princess she was taught how to do chores that were essential in running a household. She hated it at first because she wanted to learn the ways of his father with a sword. She was very envious when her brother came to train with their father's men while she was cooped up with her mother doing girly stuff.

"_A woman must know how to run a castle, she must learn to mend garments, cook and clean. You maybe a princess kaoru-chan but you must still learn these for you will someday become a wife and a mother. " _her late mother had said. Her mother had been right of course and now she had began to learn much better the truth of her words.

A small smile dawned on her face as she thought of her mother. Kamiya Youko. She had been a very beautiful woman with coal black hair that reached up to her waist, she had cerulean orbs that sparkled whenever she was laughing but turned to ice whenever she was angry. For a small woman she was very frightening when she got angry even her father could attest to that. The queen had a golden heart that it was very rare to see her angry. Her mother's laughter had always brought happiness to the castle, so when she caught a rare disease, the laughter stopped and it seemed the castle was suddenly gloomy. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill somehow, it seemed to Kaoru that her mother had known just what would happen to her daughter and tried to teach her as much as she knew. She thanked her mom for having had enough patience to teach her the house work that she had loathed once. She knew how to sew and clean the house, but she never really got to learn how to cook properly for her mother had been too ill to teach her. and she had learned to do the laundry from one of the servants that she used to pester.

"Oh, Okaa-san, I will try my best to apply what you have taught me and I will make you proud. I miss you so much…" she whispered, as she stood up and looked up to see the sunset just on the horizon. As streaks of orange and indigo burst in the skies while the golden sun finally set between the hills, a tear fell down Kaoru's cheeks as she struggled to suppress a feeling of loneliness. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

She really had to learn how to control her moods. Earlier this afternoon she was overcome with a sudden sense of fear that she broke one of Tae's china cups because she had been trembling so much. She had no reason to fear, for she knew that even though that Kenshin had kidnapped her and was a renowned assassin she knew that deep down he was a good person. He would not kill her if he wanted to he would have done so the moment he saw her. no, that wasn't it. What could she possibly fear? She was carrying out the oracle wasn't she? Rain had poured so hard that afternoon seemingly agreeing with her sudden fear and depression.

She knew she was safe here. Tae herself obviously was protection enough. She had learned upon overhearing some of the guests that she was one of the most powerful women in the country. She was one among the best fighters in their league. She had lots of connections to high officials in the gov't and even the rich people of the country. This was also one of the reasons why she knew she had no chance of escaping the Akebeko. So, what had brought on her sudden fit of terror and anxiety? Thankfully it had subsided after Tsubame gave her a cup of medicinal tea, the feeling had eased a bit but, there was still a subtle tug in her heart telling her something was wrong. She recognized the feeling as something identical to the one she felt when her mom had died. But no one in her family was dying, none of her friends were ill as well. So what is it? She sighed aggravated, her head was starting to hurt from thinking too much. She tried to dismiss the feeling and retire to her room to rest and change for dinner.

"The poor girl must've been really exhausted she hadn't even bothered to change before getting into bed," Tae said as she helped Tsubame to dress the sleeping Kaoru. "I knew she wouldn't be able to handle it, she worked herself out the poor lass she just isn't accustomed to these kind of work she is a princess after all." Tae uttered once more.

"And she scared as to death when she went into a fit earlier this afternoon. She was so frightened and her eyes were glazed over that we thought she was having a seizure. I think she must've had a vision of some sort a horrible one at that. Poor princess, I gave her some of my grandma's medicinal tea to calm her down." Tsubame replied.

After her emotional time at the garden, Kaoru had returned to her room to freshen up before going to dinner she had been quiet the whole time only speaking when she was asked directly. As soon as she had entered her room she had been physically and emotionally tired that as soon as she had collapsed on the bed she had fallen asleep almost immediately and that was how Tae and Tsubame had found her when they went to check on her a few minutes later.  
...

Enishi paced in his room in the Kamiya Kingdom. He was too caught up in his thoughts. He knew that his father had already finished the job for him and he didn't want to stay in this kingdom longer than he had to not with the king and the prince insulting him. "_We'll see who gets the last laugh…" _He couldn't take any more of then prince's arrogance and the fact that the king himself did not give him enough respect and still he had to kiss up to the old coot. But now all that is over with. He went out the door in search of the king he had to go home and await his prize.

He found the king in the great hall along with his advisers that were still trying to figure out how they were to rescue the princess. _"Fools, you will never be able to find her not with her captor dead and she's nowhere to be found. But I on the other hand will have her…" _he thought, an evil glint in his eye that no one noticed as he entered the hall.

"My King I apologize for interrupting, but I feel I must tell you of my departure. I will journey back to my kingdom to notify my men and aide you in finding the princess." He said as he bowed before the king.

"Enishi, my boy I apologize for snapping at you previously, I was very stressed however I do appreciate the help that you will be giving us and may you have a safe journey home." The king said wearily. He looked as if he had aged another century instead of his actual age of 52.

"I understand my king, we are all worried about the princess' safety, and with that I bid you good bye," Enishi said as he stood up an swept passed the other advisers and went out the door. He was excited to go home for he knew that his beloved Kaoru would be waiting for him there.  
...

He felt as if he was going to burst from all the pain he was feeling. He wanted to succumb to the darkness that was enveloping him. He wanted to welcome the abyss for he had nothing more to live for. He was a nobody that everyone feared and no one loved, and if he was to welcome that dark void he would not have to worry about such petty things and just drown himself in a feeling of peacefulness. But as soon as he tried to go nearer the abyss, a pretty face popped into his memory, of a girl with flashing sapphire eyes and long ebony locks. A face that he could stare at forever and still he would not get enough of. Her smile, her antics, and the way her face turned into different shades of red whenever he was around. He wanted to come closer to her face to touch her creamy skin, immediately he forgot about the abyss, he forgot about the pain all he knew was that he needed to be near this angel, his angel, the one to save his soul.

Amber eyes mixed with a violet hue woke up to see that he was in a hut, and he felt as if he'd been to hell and back. He tried to move and see how he got here and tried to remember the last thing that he did. And it all came back to him as if the dam that had been holding his memories broke free. _'The fight, Takano, the bombs, and the three guys who hauled them into the river… '_ As he tried to raise himself from the bed he saw an elderly woman who was clucked her tongue at him and told him to sit still.

"Be calm young one you will be okay in two days it seems that my herbal remedy takes to you quite well, do not fret about your lady friend she is well taken care of, however, she maybe in grave danger if you do not return to your lady love in time." She said as she tried to get him to lie down again.

"I have soup here that you must eat so that you can regain your strength and drink more of my herbal medicine to help you recuperate faster." She said as she went back to the table.

"How did I get here Old woman? And who are you? How do you know that I have a lady friend?" Kenshin asked his voice raspy and still distrusting the old women. _"How could she know all about Kaoru was she a member of the group that tried to kill me?"_ he thought wearily.

The old woman simply shrugged and brought the soup to a table near Kenshin's bed. "Your ki was calling me to save you and so I did. I am a healer that is what I do; I don't however question how or why I have to heal anybody it is a gift of mine since I was young. When someone's ki calls to me I go to them and help them good thing I did too or you'd be dead by now, I imagine. Now eat." She said as she aimed a spoonful of soup at his mouth. Any further questions he had, was quieted at the moment for he was ravenous and the soup did smell delicious.

After eating and drinking the medicine he felt a lot better and was surprised to see that the big gash of wound he had in his stomach had completely healed in mere minutes. "What sorcery is this old woman? That I would heal in a matter of minutes is unheard of, who are you really? And how do you know about Kaoru?" he asked again.

"I am Midori, and as I told you, it is a gift. I've had it ever since I could remember, I can heal and I know what medicine to give by just looking at a person and somehow while I heal them I can read their thoughts and tap into the thoughts of the one's that you are thinking of. Like Kaoru, however I must warn you that she is in grave danger. You should not have left her alone. I will try to heal you faster so you can go back to her as soon as possible." she replied.

Kenshin tried to absorb all of these at once and somehow he thought that Katsura set him up. He remembered seeing those three guys that set the bomb before and knew that they were assassins too. _"but why would Katsura want to get rid of me if he wanted me to get rid of Kyohei?" _the answer came strike him almost immediately as finished his question. So that no one would protect Kaoru!  
...

It's been days since Kenshin's disappearance three days to be exact and she was getting worried. Although she didn't mind helping in the inn with Tae, she was getting more and more accustomed to the chores within the inn. She was even happy when Yahiko wanted her to teach him to be a samurai because he saw her practicing one of her katas the other day. So now in her spare time she tried to teach Yahiko everything she knew in their style of swordsmanship the Kamiya Kasshin style.

Yet with all this distractions, she still can help but be worried about a certain red headed Battousai who has been gone for three days. She couldn't stop thinking about those amber eyes that had a hint of violet in them, how he stared at her with seemingly lustful and playful eyes not at all the dangerous ones that she'd been expecting on their first meeting. And since then she didn't know if she had gone mad but she just couldn't help but feel a little attracted to the man.

"_a little? Oh come on Kaoru, more like a lot…"_ the little voice in her head said again.

Oh it was no use denying and lying to herself perhaps she had gone mad but she didn't care. She longed to touch those crimson locks in her fingertips, those sinewy muscles in the palms of her hands not to mention that broad chest… she blushed crimson at what her thoughts were leading to. She had never felt this attracted, this aroused, this… _"Wait a minute? Aroused?_" She had gone mad! This was the man that had kidnapped her! What was she thinking?! And even if he would turn from his ways they would never be together because she was royalty and he was an assassin and besides he might not even feel the same way.

She stood up from the bed and decided to go out in the garden hopefully to get some fresh air and clear her head. Besides, Tae might need some assistance tonight since there were a lot of customers tonight.  
...

"Midori-san how long have I stayed here?" Kenshin asked as he went around the hut trying to help with the dishes. He may be a cold-blooded killer but he knew when to repay and be kind to the people who helped you. And in this case he owed his life to Midori.

"It's been almost two days now and by tomorrow I believe you would be well enough to go back to Miss Kaoru." She said as she reached for her basket of herbs and made a new set of potions.

"Thank You Midori-san for saving me and I apologize if I doubted you at first and I know that I owe you my life." He replied as he finished the last of the dishes. It's been a day since he woke up to find himself in Midori's hut.

"Your welcome child with a ki as strong as yours and a heart that I just as good it was no wonder that my gifts were called upon by you. You are destined for great things Kenshin and it was not your time to go as of yet. ""_Besides you still have a prophecy to fulfill, my prophecy to be exact. And you and Kaoru are a match that was desired by destiny and nobody can stop that not even death." _ Midori added silently.  
...

Saitou just couldn't believe his luck on the matter. He was probably the unluckiest man alive right now. He had just received word that the Battousai and his best general were dead and that left them with no clues as to the princess' whereabouts.

Apparently, Battousai's next victim was his best general Takano Kyohei and while they were caught up in their fight a gang of assassins crept up on them and blew them up to kingdom come. He was of course mourning for the loss of a good soldier but with the death of Battousai brought the problem of Kaoru-hime where in the world would Battousai leave her?

A knock on the door of his office shook him out of his reverie. A servant came in announcing that Prince Aoshi wanted to have a word with him. He motioned for the servant to let the man in.

Aoshi strolled into Saitou's office and the latter motioned for him to take a seat.

"To what do I owe this pleasure Ouji-sama?" he asked the prince, he was trying to buy time before telling the prince and his father about his latest discovery on the case. But it seems that the prince being the perceptive man that he is had other plans.

"I believe you have new information regarding the case about my sister's kidnapping and I want to know it first before you relay it to my father and his advisers. I do not want to burden my father with more bad news as I believe your information seem to be. He's got enough on his hands already." Aoshi stated his face still impassive.

"I knew you were perceptive Ouji-sama, and I believe you are right. I have bad news." Saitou stated somewhat wearily. He told Aoshi about the latest information that his spies had gathered and also told him how he felt that the death of Battousai seemed to lead them to a dead end.

Aoshi nodded in agreement to Saitou. "Do not let my father know of this, we will keep thi to ourselves and try to find my sister as soon as possible and have your next best general take the lead in our expedition to find my sister. We'll work to find her, you and your troops with me and the Oniwabanshu. We'll get this done or we'll die trying."

Unknown to both of them a certain pair of green eyes was watching them from the hall and heard everything that they were saying. MIsao's was stunned upon hearing this latest piece lof information regarding her best friend and she just couldn't help blaming herself.

She made up her mind she was going to be part of that elite team that was going to save Kaoru no matter what. Even if it meant blackmailing Aoshi with this information. It was her obligation to rescue Kaoru, and get rid of this guilt that was threatening to eat her alive ever since her best friend and sister was abducted.  
...

Sagara Sanosuke was a busy man. He was busy alright because with the disappearance of their best general Takano Kyohei he had to pick up double the duty and since he was second in command to Takano he had to manage two troupes. He was training both troupes and the palace training area when a messenger walked up to him.

"A message from Commander Saitou General Sagara." The boy said handing the piece of parchment to Sanosuke.

'_Meet me at my office at once and leave your troupes to train for a while amongst themselves. We have important matters to deal with.' _ The letter said in the unmistakably spiky writing of their general commander. _'Oh great! As if my day couldn't get any worse… better deal with this now than later.' _ Sanosuke ordered the troupes to go into pairs and spar among themselves while he went into the castle and went straight to their commander's office.

He found Saitou lounging in his office chair and smoking. It seemed that the commander had a very weary look in his eyes as if he'd just gone to battle a hundred men and survived.

"General Sagara, good you're here. I'll go straight to the point. As you may have known General Kyohei has disappeared, and we have information leading us to believe that he I dead along with the Battousai, however, we have no idea where the princess is. Our task now is to find out where Battousai left the princess and get her back." Saitou explained as Sano took a seat across him.

"So let me get this straight, Kyohei and Battousai is dead so there's no one to lead our troupe to this expedition and no one to Kill since Battousai is dead. Wait aren't I missing something here? If Battousai is dead, do we have any idea where he might have hidden the princess? I mean we can't go ahead on a mission that leads us to no where." Sano questioned the captain.

"That is correct General Sagara, I've had my spies keeping a lookout for any possible places that Battousai may have hidden the princess and we have a lead although it is a weak one. Our elite force will consist of 8 of our best fighters and you will be the one to lead it together with Aoshi and his group of ninjas the Oniwabanshu. I trust that I can rely on you to finish this mission without any flaws General Sagara. Do you have any other questions? We shall start training the elite team as soon as possible and we set out to search for the princess as sooon as the lead is proven to be strong enough. If there's nothing more you are dismissed." Saitou said waving his pipe.

Sano nodded and walked out the door thinking about his recent promotion and his new mission. He had to admit it would be a lot easier with Battousai out of the picture. Sano strolled back to the traing ground s still in deep thought.  
...

Katsura ordered two of his men to meet him. In his office his boss had just made him get rid of his best assassin and at a great price and now it was time to retrieve that price.

Two men entered his office; one was bulky and had a scar across his face making him look as though his face had been chopped in half. He had black eyes that looked as though it never blinked. He looked gruesome with big teeth that were yellow and had holes in it. He was dressed in a black tunic and his muscles looked as though he was about to burst through it. The other one had blonde hair with steely grey eyes that looked as if he could freeze someone to death. He frowned as he took in his surroundings he looked as if he didn't belong in Katsura's office.

"Kojou and Kiyo Ishida, I have an assignment for both of you. I need you to get the Kamiya princess from Battousai's hideout and deliver her here. Do not worry about the Battousai for he is away on another mission and I need the princess now. I want no further questions from either of you and your reward will be large. Here I everything that you need to know and boys I need the princess alive and in good condition when she is brought here or my client will be very disappointed and your reward may end up in flames." Katsura briefed the men.

Both men nodded and headed out the door to carry out their new assignment.

...

Misao paced her room thinking of ways to blackmail Aoshi into letting her tag along in the mission using her newly obtained information. She had made up her mind and she was set to go through with it. She walked determinedly out the door in search of the elusive and silent prince. She was in such seep thought that she didn't notice somebody in front of her until she crashed on something hard. And big strong arms tried to stop her from falling on her butt.

"I'm sorry, it was clumsy of me I was just thinking about stuff and I…" she said continuously apologizing at the man that she seemed to have bumped into she looked up to see icy blue eyes looking back at her in amusement.

"Oh Aoshi, I had no idea it was you, I'm sorry about this, I was in a hurry and I was just about to go out and look for you, we need to talk, somewhere private.If that's okay with you.?" She said as she tried to put as much space between them as possible, a faint crimson blush on her face.

Aoshi nodded as he let go of her and motioned for her to lead the way. Misao took her to the first available room that she could and it seemed that they stepped into a small library. Shelves tat were full of books lined the walls and two couches were placed on either side. (A/N: I'm not sure if they had couches then but hey…) A table can be found at the center and several comfortable chairs surrounding it.

Misao sat on one of the couches and sat on one end as she motioned fhe prince to take a seat. She took a deep breath as the prince took a seat beside her. She had to calm the erratic beating of her heart she knew she had to do this even though she knew that Aoshi might hate her forever.

"Misao, what exactly is this about?" Aoshi asked as he looked straight into the emerald pools that were her eyes. She clenched her fist as his azure eyes gazed into his.

"I know we've already discussed this Aoshi but I really want to help search for Kaoru too and I hoped that it wouldn't come to this but I know of the new information you have received regarding Kyohei and Battousai and if you won't let me part of the elite team that's going to rescue Kaoru I'll tell the king of this new information. So please Aoshi, Please I really want to help." Misao finished.

She was still looking at the prince's eyes but she tore her gaze away not wanting to see the contempt in them as he realized what she threatened him with. The prince remained silent and Misao just couldn't bear the silence she knew he'd hate her but she still hoped that somehow he'd see it her way.

"Please Aoshi, I know you're really worried but I want to help and I feel guilty especially now that Battousai's dead and you've got no clue as to Kaoru's whereabouts…" Misao trailed off her sentence ending in a whisper. She bowed her head and her bangs hid her emerald eyes that were at the moment sparkling with unshed tears.

Aoshi tilted her chin and looked into her eyes. "I know how you feel MIsao. I honestly do." Aoshi said his icy façade no longer in tact as he realized that he had to tell Misao the truth to make her understand why he couldn't risk losing her.

"We are both worried about Kaoru and I Know that you grew up with her and treat her as your sister. But Misao I'd go crazy if anything were to happen to you too. Not you… Not the woman I love. I can't risk it. I can't even bear the thought of you getting hurt. It hurts too much. I'd do anything to take you away from here away from all the dangers and tragedies." He said as he wiped the girl's tears away.

Misao was shocked and pleased at the same time. She now understood why the prince had been very keen in not sending her out and it also surprised her that the icy prince had taken down his icy façade and was now confessing to her his true feelings for her. For years he gazed at the prince and contented herself with being his friend for she knew she never had a chance.

"A-Aoshi, I, you, love how, huh?" she couldn't seem to put words into sentences so she did the next best thing she flung herself into his arms and hugged him. Aoshi felt his heart melt as the woman of his dreams hugged him. Her soft body melded perfectly into him. He held her tightly feeling her soft curves against his hard body. She eased away a bit from the hug and looked at his azure eyes.

He tilted her head bringing his lips closer to hers.

**A/N: ****Yeah finally some action huh? Hehe… I figured I owe you at least this much. I think I'll add a lemon or two here and there but I'll put in warnings for the kiddies out there. (-.-;;) Okay, I know I know it's been a long time I think it's been more than a year now and I can't help but be very guilty about it I lost my inspiration for the story stupid writer's block… I did say it in the previous chapters, but then this summer it seemed as if it all came back to me. Each and every little detail. I'm sorry to the readers I've disappointed and all the few that have reviewed they are the real reasons why I keep trying to push myself to finish this story. Because as a reader I myself hate it when a story is abandoned. So a huge sorry to the readers especially to my reviewers here's an individual thank you to you all.**

**Peaceful Blossom: I'm so happy you like it I was starting to think that I should stay as a reader…**

**Bluewolfeyes: hope this meets up to your expectation…**

**Xo-melodrama: sorry it took so long… x.x I'm so happy that you remained a loyal reviewer it means so much to me…**

**Michelle Gilman: I loved your review I thought maybe I needed to amp it up a bit and sorreee its taking long…**

**Tree Kodama: Thanks for understanding… I love it when Battousai does that too it brings out the darkness in him… hehehe**

**TheWinterWolf: ooohhhh.. so happy you liked it… I'll update regularly from now on, my internet ban has been lifted yay me.. (does happy dance) .**

**King Sirahk: yay! I own his dvd I own him weeee… hehehe thanks for the review…**

**Blooded wyngs: you remind me of myself when I'm on a sugar rush or coffee high… hahaha don't you just luv cliffies… hehe btw sorry for the late update…**

**Cliff Hanger and Pluki-kun: me, you and blooded wings would create havoc if we all have sugar rushes at once hehe im glad that you liked it gomen gomen for the late updates…**

**Royalbluekitsune:very suggestive huh… I was wondering if I should add a lemon in there I probably would ask the reviewers what they'd prefer it is rated M but… we'll see… **

**Reignashii, sekushi-san, tifacloudlover, half-breed-demon-fox: I love you all so much thanks for the reviews im sure I wouldn't even go through with it without your encouraging words…**

**Western: thank you im just so happy to see my work is getting reviews…**

**Anabella5: I hope this measured up to your expectations…**

**xNiight of Hate: really… that means im cool too yeaaahh… A ton of thanks to you and your uuuuuuuuber coolness.. hehe**

**Don't forget to reeeevvvvvviiiiieeeeewwww people! Its just that lil button over there… and please be gentle with flames I burn easily…**

**Teena...**


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